Valve d funnel



(No Model.)

T. MILLER. VALVE-D FUNNEL.

Patented May 10, 18192.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY arena FFTCEQ THOMAS MILLER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEKV JERSEY.

VALVED FUNNEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,674, dated May 10, I892.

Application filed February 2, 1892. Serial No. 420,041- (NO model.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS MILLER, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Funnel, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to funnels useful for filling bottles or other receptacles having contracted mouths, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device of this character adapted to close and open automatically.

The invention will first be described, and then will be particularly defined in claims hereinafter set forth.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,

and in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved funnel with its discharge-valve closed. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view of the device, also showing the valve closed and retaining liquid within the funnel; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the funnel adjusted to the neck of a bottle and the valve open to discharge the liquid into the bottle.

In the preferred form of the invention the funnel has a body A, which may be of any desired general form and size. WVithin the body and in axial alignment with the end of its discharge spout or nozzle a guide a is supported. This guide is preferably a short length of tubing, and it is preferably soldered or otherwise fastened to a strainer B, which is itself fastened to and within the filter-body. The strainer thus serves its usual purpose of straining a liquid or semi-fluid or other substance being filled into a bottle or other receptacle from the funnel, while it also gives substantial lateral support by or through the guide a to the sliding stem 0 of a valve D, which is preferably in the form of a head or plug and is adapted to seat itself at and close the open end or discharge-outlet (Z of the funnel.

It will be understood that the valve-stem guide ct may be sustained from the funnelbody in any suitable manner, but its support directly by or from the strainer B is preferred, because it is a very neat and compact construction, promoting most convenient cleaning of the parts while providing for straining jof the liquid in the usual manner, and all withlout requiring independent arms or other de vices to connect the valve-stem guide a, with the wall of the funnel-body. This latter connection may, however, be madev were the funnel not provided with the strainer device.

To the top or upper part of the valve-stem C is connected the horizontal arm e of a handle E, by which the entire device may be carried nozzle downward and adjusted into the neck f of any one of a series of bottles F, which are to be filled through the funnel. I specially mention the tubular construction of the valve-stem 0, whereby the interior passage c of the stein, which is continued also through the valve D and handle-arm c, gives free vent of air from the bottle while theliq' uid is flowing therein from the funnel.

The operation of the device is very simple and effective. When the funnel is held by its handle E, the gravity of the funnel-body A and connected parts will carry the body downward as its guide a, slides on the valvestem 0 and untilthe end d of the body seats itself liquid-tight upon the valve D, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Any liquid or mixture or substance now poured into the funnel body, after passing through the strainer B, (when the latter is used,) will be retained in the funnel by the valve until the spout or nozzle of the body A is inserted in the neck f of a bottle or other receptacle F. As the funnel seats itself in the neck f and the handle E is released so it falls by its own weight, aiding the natural downward pressure of the liquid, or when the handle is lowered toward or to the top of the funnel-body by the operator, the valve D will move from its seat d and open the funnel-nozzle, whereupon the liquid or substance will flow from the funnel into the bottle or receptacle, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, and while the air finds vent from the bottom through the interior passage 0 of the valvestem.

Should the funnel hold more liquid than will fill aibottle to the desired extent, it is only necessary to raise the handle E and lift the funnel nozzle from the bottle. This movement will instantly and automatically draw the valve D again to its seat at at the nozzle before the latterleaves the neck of the bottle, and the closed valve holds the remaining liquid in the funnel, thus allowing the latter to be moved from one bottle to another as they are successively filled, or permitting the tunnel to be carried from place to place without leakage of the liquid or substance from the nozzle.

It will be noticed that the funnel-body may turn freely by its guide at around the valvestem 0 and on the valve D. Hence no attention need be paid to the relative positions of the funnel body and valve toinsure tight and automatic closure of the valve whenever the device is sustained by or from its handle E, and this rotation of the body on the valve also tends to grind the valve to its seat and promotes the durability and efficiency of the device. The arrangement of the valve-stem within the funnel-body also assures protection of the valve from injury.

While the handle E may be substituted by" a perforated knob or button fixed to the top of the valve-stem, and as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, I find that in view of the prior state of the art the novelty of my invention resides in the form of the handle E shown and in its arrangement relatively to the funnel-body A and the valve-stem and valve 0 D of the device. It will be noticed that while the inner end of the handle is rigidly connected to the upper end of the valve stemthe handle itself is not attached to the funnel-body. Furthermore, the handle while thus disconnected from the funnel-body has direct contact with it to form a stop limiting opening of the valve D,/the handle, valvestem, and valve moving together vertically only the limited distance suflioient to open and close the valve.

The advantages are obvious. As the laterally-projecting handle E is not pivoted or otherwise attached to the funnel-body, and as the body is always free to turn axially on the valve and its stem and independently of the handle the quick, easy, and most thorough cleaning of the funnel-body inside and out and also the quick and easy cleaning of the handle and other parts is assured, as there are no corners or angles between the body and handle for substances to lodge in and such as Hence the handle and connected valve-stem offer little or no obstruction to the free pouring of a fluid or other substance into the funnel. This advantage is not realized in a prior funnel device in which a laterally-projecting weight-guiding rod is pivoted to the top of the valve-stem for use with a float-valve on said stem. It is also worthy of special mention that the formation of the outer end of the handle into a vertically-elongated finger-receiving loop promotes the most natural, easy, and secure holding of the funnel by one hand of the operator while he pours a liquid or substance into the funnel from a vessel held in his other hand.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An automatic funnel made with a body, a rod or stem guided therein, a valve on said stem, adapted to open and close the funneloutlet, and a handle rigidly connected to the valve-stem, but disconnected from the funnelbody and extended laterally to or beyond the body to form a stop thereat for the valve,substantially as described.

2. An automatic funnel made with a body, a tubular venting-stem guided therein, a valve on said stem, adapted to open and close the funnel-outlet, and a handle rigidly connected to the tubular valve-stein and extended latorally to or beyond the funnel-body, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

3. An automatic funnel made with a body, a tubular venting-stem guided therein, a valve on said stem, adapted to open and close thefunnel-outlet, and a handle rigidly connected to the valve-stem and extended laterally beyond the perimeter of the funnel-body and formed outside of it into a vertically-elongated fingerreceiving loop, substantially as described.

THOMAS MILLER.

\Vitnesses:

ALBERT BAERENKLAU, WILLIAM J. MILLER. 

